On Fri, Sep 12, 2025 at 8:49 PM Zac Denning via groups.io <zdenning1=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Here’s a link to a video of the bird foraging in the creek, since that
> didn’t come through in the email:
> <https://share.icloud.com/photos/060zwk1CaAi0qz0vizfMQMTlQ> > <https://share.icloud.com/photos/060zwk1CaAi0qz0vizfMQMTlQ> > https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xLzrNwcXarCh-_fBQWpg9VdoDIWvb_L8/view?usp=drivesdk >
> Zac Denning
>
> On Fri, Sep 12, 2025 at 8:23 PM Zac Denning via groups.io <zdenning1=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
>> This evening, while birding Creekside Park looking for migrants, I was
>> startled to hear heavy sloshing noises from the east end of the tiny stream
>> (Cerrito Creek) that runs through this urban park. This was accompanied by
>> an underwater shape moving sinuously below the surface of a small pool,
>> executing tight turns in pursuit of minnows.
>>
>> I assumed at first that this might be a mammal, until a cormorant head
>> emerged right next to me! This was already surprising, but what was more
>> unusual was that this was a Brandt’s Cormorant! Brandt’s Cormorants are
>> ocean birds (often ranging far offshore), though they can be found more
>> sparsely in the bay, especially in areas that are closer to the Golden Gate
>> (in addition to breeding sites on bridge footings and some other sites).
>>
>> This bird was probably 1/3 of a mile inland from the closest pure
>> saltwater. Presumably it came through the culvert st peak high tide, then
>> found the feeding good. The bird certainly seemed unhurt, and foraged
>> energetically.
>>
>> Cerrito Creek is very narrow, with low flow and small shallow pools (the
>> deepest might be knee deep), separated by slow trickles over gravel bars.
>> High tide raises the level of the creek’s lowermost end, where brackish
>> water comes through a culvert under highway 80, after crossing tidal flats
>> between the Albany Bulb and Point Isabelle. The creek divides a city park /
>> Asian mall and apartments on one side, and a riparian area and oak woodland
>> at the base of Albany Hill on the other.
>>
>> As I watched, the bird reached the end of its pool, then emerged to
>> waddle unhurriedly to the next one. Over several hours, it ranged up and
>> down the creek with this combo of swimming than waddling, close to leashed
>> barking dogs in a small encampment, past teenagers hanging out on the bank,
>> and at one point it passed me 3 feet away, as I stood still on a gravel
>> bar, as it made its way further upstream!
>>
>> This is definitely a bird I never expected to see in a freshwater creek
>> in an urban park! I imagine there must be very few records of inland
>> Brandt’s Cormorants on small bodies of freshwater. Truly bizarre.
>>
>> Photos and video are below:
>> (My hand is shown for distance reference in one photo as I stood still
>> while the bird walked by me)
>>
>> Zac Denning
>> Albany
>>
>> The following attachments were removed because the message exceeded 15MB.
>> Attachments are automatically removed for messages larger than 15MB to
>> ensure delivery.
>>
>> IMG_5283.jpeg:
>> https://groups.io/g/EBB-Sightings/sattachment/6770181030059548008/257113334/0/c060926dfdc88e5be8193f0dbcae2957e2eecbe8af232788c884edbaa90e730e >> IMG_5287.jpeg
>> <https://groups.io/g/EBB-Sightings/sattachment/6770181030059548008/257113334/0/c060926dfdc88e5be8193f0dbcae2957e2eecbe8af232788c884edbaa90e730eIMG_5287.jpeg>: >>
>> https://groups.io/g/EBB-Sightings/sattachment/6930776166615875373/257113334/1/33a328851b1311703145fb88b2f2e8d8d8ca1aeda732874758e629968fcacea7 >> IMG_5285.mp4:
>> https://groups.io/g/EBB-Sightings/sattachment/8685375056660528732/257113334/2/df7acddb7a57c51d5e65603deb3d1bccb1edbcc3527ecbe74713a6ac3cbf522c >>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
